Over $3.4 Billion Recovered from False Claims Act Whistleblower Cases in 2017

Kelsey Condon

Published On: December 28th, 2017

Whistleblowers were the largest source of fraud detection for False Claims Act (“FCA”) cases in 2017. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recovered more than $3.7 billion in settlements and judgments in cases arising under the FCA. Of the $3.7 billion obtained, over $3.4 billion was recovered in cases filed under the qui tam whistleblower provisions of the FCA.

Statistics covering fiscal years October 1986 through September 2017 show the success of efforts to strengthen FCA whistleblower provisions in 1986 and again in 2009, with the number of qui tam suits and DOJ recoveries increasing significantly throughout the years. These provisions encourage whistleblowers to come forward while offering necessary protections for those individuals who may risk their lives and livelihoods by coming forward.

As put by the Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the DOJ’s Civil Division, “[b]ecause those who defraud the government often hide their misconduct from public view, whistleblowers are often essential to uncovering the truth.” These new DOJ statistics highlight how indispensable whistleblowers are to the detection and prevention of fraud, DOJ enforcement actions, and the recovery of public funds.